Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today
Autonomous driving, microsuede headliner, laser-etched maps on open-pore wood, the 2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate is rugged luxury.
What happened to pickup trucks? They used to have two doors, be affordable, and meant for hauling hay, watercraft, or passing down to your child as their first car. These days the pickup truck category has a wide swath of options. You can get a 700 hp Ram 1500 TRX, a fully-electric Ford F-150 Lightning, or an $80,000+ GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate.
GMC has been making the Sierra since 1962 (with a pause for a few years) but never at this luxurious level. With enough drip to make the Migos jealous, this full-size $80,000 pickup truck is a far cry from those construction-site oriented work horses associated with the segment.
But we must wonder, "are there people out there making runs to Home Depot, hauling a trailer and needing a back massage at the same time?" If so, this is the truck for them. With luxury, hauling power, and GM's autonomous-drive capability called Super Cruise, how could this truck be called anything other than the Ultimate?
As the price tag on modern pickup trucks have grown (even the base Sierra 1500 is more than $40,000), so have the intimidating dimensions. As our 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate in Titanium Rush Metallic pulled up for us to test, we instantly felt small. Not only does the blocky design of the Sierra create a flat, towering grill and front fascia, but the Denali Ultimate trim comes with the class-specific Vader chrome grill and accents. How can you NOT want a truck inspired by the Dark Side?
The dark trim with a few chrome pieces, 22" Low Gloss Black wheels, and large C-shaped dual projector LED headlamps bring a sense of style and road presence usually reserved for luxury performance sedans like the 2022 Audi S8. The front also houses a camera, parking sensors, and tow hooks. On either side of the truck where the A-pillar meets the giant hood is a large silver placard that says "Ultimate 6.2L" to make sure your $80K isn't lost on someone who thinks you simply got a base Sierra. Additionally, GMC puts "Denali" on the front doors and tailgate to drive the point home. The chrome accents on areas such as the door handles, mirror tips, window frames, and the edge of the powered running-boards would be a bit too much on most other vehicles, but on such a large truck, it's tasteful.
Around back is the short-but-deep truck bed made from CarbonPro composite. This material makes the cargo box very strong and resistant against denting, scraping, and all that other wear and tear that happens to workhorse trucks. The six-way MultiPro tailgate is a brilliant design. There are two buttons on the back of the tailgate. One opens the top half of the tailgate, the other button opens the whole thing. This design allows for the top half of the tailgate to lower to a step. As was the case for our 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate, GMC can outfit the tailgate with an integrated Kicker audio speakers. Open the step, connect your phone and jam out to your 2000s Pop playlist while you load your lumbar from Home Depot.
RELATED: Scoring High DeMuro Style: The 2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate
When people look to pickup trucks, they normally look under the hood and GMC has given a wide offering for customers to chose from. Our 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate had the 6.2-liter V8 worth 420 horses and 460 lb-ft of torque. The powerful engine and 10-speed automatic transmission rewarded our pedal-smashing with quick, smooth, and rumbling acceleration. Other engine offerings are the base 2.7-liter turbo with 310 hp, a 355-hp 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8, and the 3.0-liter DuraMax Turbo-Diesel with 277 hp which can now tow 13,200 lbs, and proves diesel is here to stay.
As modern trucks have advanced in size, they have also become next-level comfortable and smooth. Not only do creature comforts like massaging seats, wireless Apple CarPlay, and GMC's brilliant (arguably best in the market) semi-autonomous Super Cruise make life easier, but the driving dynamics themselves are more pleasant. Typically, body-on-frame construction (most pickup trucks and some SUVs) can lead to a stiff ride with characteristic front-and-back bounce like a seesaw when going over bumps. The 2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate has found a way to be glass smooth on the freeway with very little sway on twisty back roads.
That magic is most likely the Denali Premium Suspension with class-exclusive Magnetic Ride Control. This type of technology, also found on vehicles like the Corvette, Camaro, and various Cadillac models under the GM roof, charges a magnetic liquid within 10-15 milliseconds to stiffen each wheel's suspension travel and rigidity. Having it on a sports car improves cornering at the track but in a giant truck carrying a heavy load, it's even more important for stability.
RELATED: Towing Contest Sees A Ford F-150 Lightning Vs A GMC Sierra Denali We can't talk performance on this Sierra Denali Ultimate trim without talking about the magnificent semi-autonomous drive capability known as SuperCruise. This technology uses LiDAR, GPS, cameras, and sensors to allow the driver to go hands-free. It's even available when towing a trailer! Already in some Cadillac models, this technology is easy to use. Simply push a button on the steering wheel to engage the system. A light on the top of the steering wheel indicates green for ready, blue for almost ready, and red to indicate it won't engage. An infrared camera located on the top of the steering wheel monitors the eyes of the driver to make sure they are paying attention to the road and not their TikTok account. If it notices the driver looking away, it will blink red and the driver can look up again or the system will turn off.
In tandem with the radar cruise control, SuperCruise had us relaxed, hands free, rolling down the freeway for nearly 30 continuous minutes before we turned it off to exit. We also found the lane change feature handy. To change lanes, simply use the indicator and the vehicle checks the cameras and spacing, then moves to the desired lane. Another cool feature is, if the car in front is slowing down and the vehicle notices a free lane, it will change lanes for you--this can be disabled if you aren't yet comfortable with robots making decisions for you.
Not everyone is onboard with the idea of autonomous driving, but one of the aspects that might bring comfort to the masses is that the system will only engage on the roads it has current information about. We tried it on some Georgia back roads and the light on the steering wheel went red with a note on the dash saying it would not engage.
Unlocking the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate, the mirrors unfold and the automatic running boards deploy once the door handle begins to move. The interior is truly breathtaking. Right away, we recognized we had elevated past the basic pickup truck of yesteryear. The Alpine Umber interior, baseball-glove tan full-grain leather seats, micro-suede headliner, and 13.4" infotainment screen with integrated Google features, respectfully smack you upon entering this spacious cabin. If that level of interior drip isn't drippy enough, GMC added laser etchings of the topographical map of Mount Denali with actual GPS coordinates throughout the cabin. You know, in case you got there and needed a map.
Some vehicles, especially when filled with luxurious appointments, favor the passengers. Not so with this Sierra. Between the heated, ventilated, massaging seats, 12.3" digital dash, 15" head-up display, 12-speaker Bose sound system, wireless charging pad, fantastic visibility, airy cabin, and the Super Cruise capability, this is a driver-oriented truck.
RELATED: These Are GMC Sierra Model Years You Should Avoid Buying Used
Of course, the GMC Sierra is a beloved truck in general. Heck, even Will Arnett is the spokesman! But after a week with the 2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate running errands, Super Cruise-ing on the freeway, and trying to find places to park (this is a big truck), we quickly fell in love. The downsides are pretty clear: it's more than $80,000 (who knows with dealer markup!), has poor fuel economy, and takes surgeon-level concentration when pulling into a space in a busy parking garage -- thank God for the 360 view camera feature. We also wonder how willing the owners are at this level to have muddy boots, dirty pants, and large pieces of sheetrock invade their palace?
The good news is, GMC has a pretty flexible options list. If you want to have you cake and eat it too, you could start small, tick some boxes and end up with a very capable truck that has plenty of creature comforts... but you will have to go without the laser etched Denali topography. Sorry. For high-rollers only.
Bradley Hasemeyer is an Emmy-Award winning host, father and lover of station wagons. As a child, Bradley and his father would walk around car lots after they closed in order to explore cars without annoying salesmen interruptions, watched VHS tapes of F1 races and try to ID cars at night based on their tail lights. His father would always win. This early love of all things automotive led Bradley to spend more than 15 years in the industry as a journalist, host and consultant. For more than 150+ episodes, he helmed the Autoblog show Translogic while also writing for and producing videos for various outlets like Gear Patrol, Road & Track and Business Insider. When not internally obsessing over his next wagon purchase, he can be found chasing his 2-year old son around the yard, strategically negotiating with his 8-year old over screen time and helping his wife find her phone (we got a Tile!).